Supreme Court Allows Himachal Government To Shift RERA Office From Shimla To Dharamshala, Stays HC Order
The Supreme Court on Thursday permitted the Himachal Pradesh Government to shift the office of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) from Shimla to Dharamshala, staying the Himachal Pradesh High Court's order that had restrained the move.
A Bench comprising the Chief Justice Suryakant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that “operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed.”
The Court further ordered, “The State is permitted to shift the office of RERA to the place of its choice however, this shall be subject to the final outcome of the writ petition pending at the High Court.”
The court also directed that, to ensure that persons affected by RERA orders are not inconvenienced, “the appellate powers may be shifted from the Principal District Judge, Shimla to the Principal District Judge, Dharamshala.”
The High Court, in its order dated December 30, 2025, had continued the interim arrangement restraining the relocation. It noted that the districts of Solan, Shimla, and Sirmaur collectively account for 80% of RERA-registered projects in the State, while Kangra has only 20 projects.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj observed that “the interim order is likely to continue,” adding that it would be “a humongous task for the developers as such to firstly co-ordinate with the RERA office at Dharamshala and then with the other offices which give necessary permissions which are placed at Shimla.”
The Supreme Court has issued notice and posted the matter for further hearing on April 6, 2026.
For Petitioners (State of Himachal Pradesh & Ors.): Senior Advocate Ms. Madhavi Divan, Senior Advocate Mr. Anup Rattan, Mr. Vaibhav Srivastava (AAG), Ms. Sugandha Anand (AOR), Advocates Mr. Puneet Rajta, Mr. Bhargava Ravikumar and Mr. Ashish Joshi.
For Respondent (Naresh Sharma): Senior Advocate Mr. Abhinav Mukherji, Mr. Amol Chitravanshi (AOR), Advoates Mr. Ajay Sipahiya, Mr. Shivam Prashar, Mr. Tarun Mehta, Ms. Kushboo Hora and Ms. Archita Nigam, Advocates.